Cheddar Cheese

17 years ago today our lives were forever changed. If you are like me you are feeling a little unsettled today. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I keep tearing up. We are a great nation and we have “recovered”. We will just never be the same again. I am sharing a recipe with you today that I got from one of my customers many years ago. She moved to Chicago. I have no idea what has happened to her and yet I think of her today as I share this recipe. Somehow I hope I will reconnect with her someday. In the meantime, enjoy this recipe and hug your family tight tonight.

Well, it’s Tuesday, and that means you are getting a blog post whether you want one or not. Today is a very special Tuesday–35 years ago the Butcher and I got married. I am not cooking on my anniversary, but I will share a side dish I made on Sunday for Mother’s Day. I have to give a big shout out to Dan Ratta who smoked an amazing Brisket for my Mother’s Day dinner. Thank you, Dan. It was fantastic. Now on to the side dish that I served with the Brisket.

Place the uncooked bacon on a cookie sheet with a one inch lip. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook for 20 to 22 minutes. The bacon should be crisp so you can crumble it or dice it. Remove the bacon from the cookie sheet and place on a paper towel to drain. Keep 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the bacon grease on the cookie sheet. Place the diced potatoes on the cookie sheet and coat them with the bacon grease. Return the cookie sheet to the oven and bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir the potatoes and make sure none are sticking. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes. As the potatoes are cooking, crumble the bacon. Clean and slice the green onions thin. Pull out the cookie sheet with the potatoes on them. sprinkle the bacon and green onions over the potatoes, cover all with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling.

This is a great side dish for any meal but it was especially delicious with the Beef brisket.

Well, I have an anniversary to celebrate–Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.

I am moving a little slow today. Those of you that know me know that 9:30 maybe 10:00 is a typical bedtime for me. Well, not so last night. We went to see the Cleveland Indians. Due to Mother Nature the game didn’t even start until 9:30. Of course I had to stay for the entire game (which was a dandy) and the fireworks to boot. The Indians won and the fireworks were spectacular. Getting to bed at 2:30 a.m. was not so good. I am sharing a recipe with you that can be made with leftovers and will get you a 9.5 rating. No one will guess you are operating on zero sleep. I hope you enjoy this. Go Tribe!

Wash the potatoes and coat with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can also use leftover baked potatoes. Scoop out the inside of the baked potatoes and mash with the butter, sour cream, salt, pepper and chives. Put the “mashed loaded baked potatoes” into the potato shells and place in an oven proof dish. Put the crumbled bacon on top of the potatoes. Add the cheese. Put the pulled pork on top of the cheese. Drizzle Barbecue Sauce over the pork. Put the “Porktatos” in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and allow to heat up for 10 to 15 minutes. I put extra cheese on top of the barbecue sauce since the Butcher is fond of cheese.

Elaine is one of our dear customers. She brought in 2 recipes to share with our customers. Elaine not only brought in the recipes, she made numerous copies and put them in a sleeve so our customers could take a copy home with them. That is definately going beyond the call of duty. This is Elaine’s recipe.

Li’l Cheddar Meat Loaves

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup Chopped onion

1 tsp salt

1 pound lean ground beef

2/3 cup ketchup

cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp prepared mustard

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt.

Add beef and mix Well. Shape into eight loaves; place in greased 13 X 9 X 2” baking dish. Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves. (I usually heat in saucepan) Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and a

meat thermometer reads 160. (1 never use the thermometer)

Yield: 8 servings

Thank you for contributing, Elaine. Until next time, From our Butcher Block to your Table.